Hi,

Anybody built the Academy Stug?

Is it any good?

Cheers
Digger

Isn't this one of the older kits that were copies of Tamiya's older kits? They've re-released them recently, so beware when buying.

Hey Digger, although it's an old Tamiya style kit ( engine holes in the hull bottom etc. ), and is said to be inaccurate in places, I enjoyed building it and was happy enough with the end result.
One prob was that the tracks were very loose, so I shortened them 1 link and the fit was a lot better.
The other thing is that the decals for the ambush scheme as shown on the box top and sides are not included in the kit - the kits decals are for two other schemes as shown on the instruction sheet........ go figure...............
I have two photo's ( not very good ones ) here of the end result.
http://community.webshots.com/album/54234694jdIYPt

Digger--If you are just looking to build a kit that sort of looks the part then this may fit the bill for you, but if you want a kit that has any degree of accuracy look for one of the DML StuG IVs. I recently finished the Tamiya StuG IV (which this kit is a rip-off from) and found it to more or less be a piece of junk. I had to do a ton of work to get it to look more realistic (and I'm not a serious rivet-counter, I just like a degree of accuracy). If you do decide to build this kit do yourself a favor and at least replace the rubber-band tracks (only one side has detail) and replace the tools with Tamiya's Panzer IV OVE set.

Funny thing is with the DML Stug IVs right next to the Tamiya one, people still going to pick the Tamiya...I saw it happened, really a brand name thing....

lol yeah they are probably the exact same kit

If you have a choice between Tamiya and Academy, I would go Academy. I was more pleased with that kit. *smile* Just my penny's worth.

Cheers
Digger

They are the same kit except that the Academy one has softer detail because it is a rip-off of the Tamiya kit (read: exact copy). Don't get either if you can help it, but if these are the only choices that you have, I'd say go for Tamiya as at least the detail is a little crisper.

I bought the academy kit a couple of years ago
and was quite satisfied with it

really no problems with the fit of the parts looked good. Slight modification here little modification there. I enjoyed to build it and it`s really a great kit for a little amount of money

Let's get straight what the kit is. It is a complete rip-off of Tamiya's kit (motorization holes and all). I won't buy it for this reason alone. I refuse to reward a company for stealing another company's product. Besides that, it is a rip-off of an old, not so great kit in the first place. If you want an easy model to build that looks like a StuG IV go for it. If you are looking for a really nice model up to today's standards or one that is accurate, STAY AWAY! The DML StuG IVs are MUCH better kits and they are not rip-offs of some other companies hard work.

I have to agree about that with you AVUKICH

A couple of months ago I started on the Stug 40f from DML
and about detail I can only say that it`s good bought the Edouard PE set for it and more is actually not needed and it masters the Academy kit in that and probably in everything

about the little attack on me
I believe I posted: "I BOUGHT THE KIT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO" And at that time when I didn`t have money this was a good kit.

And I certainly don`t think that beginning modelers (wich don`t have much money) really care about the fact that it`s a ripoff or that it`s not good or something that are personal things.
Beginning modelers just want a kit that is not too expensive, easy to built so that they can learn the fine arts of scalemodeling so that they further on can choose from wishdom and experience what kit you have to buy to get the best detail and the best looking kit and so ever.

So this was what I wanted to say

FAUST--There was no personal attack on you. I am not sure what you read as an attak on you, but believe me that wasn't the intent. I am attacking the Academy kit. I am trying to steer anyone who may think about buying it away from it. New Academy kits are nice enough, but the old rip-offs should be criminal. I don't think that it is right that they can get away with stealing someone else's model and market it under there name with no credit given to Tamiya. I am not 100% sure on this, but I have a feeling that you can get the Tamiya and Academy kits for basically the same price and if this is true I would suggest buying the Tamiya kit because at least it isn't stolen.

I know it was not an attack from you

and it was also not angry meant what I posted on your comment
nowadays I never would buy the kit
About the price I can say that it was then firmly cheaper than the tamiya kit and it was a good option for me then.
what I heard from my modelshop owner was that Academy just bought the mold from Tamiya and put it on the market so that wouldn`t be stealing I guess
that`s actually the same thing that Revell is doing with the DML kits I Bought several of this revell kits and they were all good and quite some fun to built too

I'm sure that a few years ago that the Academy kit was much cheaper than the Tamiya one. Nowadays though, at least in the US, the old Tamiya kits and old Academy kits are about the same price. I'm pretty sure that Academy didn't buy the molds from Tamiya as they were producing the kit at the same time and Academy got their start stealing kits from Tamiya just as Trumpeter got their start stealing other companies kits. Both companies produce their own original work now, but that wasn't always the case. I'm not sure of everything that Academy copied, but I am sure of the StuG IV and the Wirbelwind.

A lot of what is bought, all comes down to availability. In some areas the full range of Tamiya products can be bought, others its take what you can get. Outside of big cities its the only way to get these kits at an affordable price is when some company releases anothers products. Italeri is now realeasing esci kits and Bilek are releasing Italeris kits, etc, etc. At least when a kit is released by another manufacturer it gives folks a chance to buy it cheaply.... beginners etc!!! There are some excellent kits that are OOP and I wouldnt care who released them, if I wanted them Id buy them. If you feel they are not up to your personnal standard or to your taste, just leave them on the shelf. At the end of the day, what is being purchased governs what is going to be on the shelf.
But I do agree that it is sad that Academy dont even try to modernise a few of the more obvious faults, especially the motorisition holes. It doesnt help their reputation

PlasticBattle--I don't think you understand my issue with this. Academy is not producing another manufacturers products like Italeri does with Zvezda and ESCI, they have stolen the kit. Italeri bought the molds for the Zvezda and ESCI kits and market them under their name and give credit to the original mold maker. Academy on the other hand, bought the Tamiya kit, cast the parts, and began marketing it under their name with no mention of Tamiya as the creator of the product. That would be the equivalent of you buying an Italeri kit, casting some parts and producing resin copies and then selling those copies as if you mastered them yourself. This is piracy plain and simple. Selling another companies models with their consent is fine, but stealing their kits by reproducing them is not. That is my issue with the Academy StuG IV and Wirbelwind. Besides being stolen they are not as good because some of the detail present in the Tamiya kit was lost during the copying process.

Do you see where I am coming from now?

I think that academy bought the molds from Tamiya, they didnt steal them.

No, Academy was big into pirating Tamiya kits. The older kits that Academy has re-released are some of the original copies. If you get the same kit of a Tamiya and Academy kit, like I had with the old Sheridan many years ago, you could tell it was a poor copy. Even though the parts were extremely similar there were subtle differences (no Tamiya sprue markings, etc.). Enough to tell they didn't use the same sets of molds, but copied them. Even the decals were direct copies, although they weren't as sharp as the original Tamiya ones. The instructions were direct copies too. Add to the fact that Tamiya still marketed the kits and they had the proper Tamiya trademarks on the sprue. Heck, Tamiya still puts out many of the older kits once pirated by Academy.

It wasn't until the 1990s that Academy started tweaking the kits so they weren't direct copies. Kits like the M2, LVTP7, Sgt. York, M151A2 MUTT were still direct copies. Kits like the M1A1, M113A2, M48A5, Merkava, M60A1 were heavily based on Tamiya's kits, but were altered to make different updated variants.

Some of Academy's first original armor kits were the HMMWV and M-18 and they were doing a good job on newer German kits (Tigers) as well as the newer WW2 US kits (M-10).

P.S Disclaimer: this post is not directed as an attack on anyone who has posted above or who will post below. I am just pointing out that Academy made (past tense) their foothold into the market by copying Tamiya kits and selling them cheaply, just like Trumpeter has done. Seems like this is becoming a trend at our site!

Given the tone of some of these posts I wish I never asked the question in the first place.

Actually it has been rather enlightening.

Cheers
Digger

I know what you mean, with all the heat that comes from answering questions around here. I think I'll stop answering them for a while.

Sounds like a potential post for the "Questions that keep me awake" thread, "Why ask a questions when you don't want to hear an answer."

So can we just summerize as belows:

1. Academy Stug IV is a dog as Tamiya's, and DML's are better
2. Academy had stolen the design and made duplication tooling for the poort Tamiya Kits as Adam and Rob had correctly pointed out. (I myself also second this)

I trust the above 2 are realistic estimation....

lol #:-)

Well said lifetyle! I think you've hit it on the head, so to speak

Fascinating thread this is. Not just for the insight into the dark world of Korean plastic model companies, but for the exemplification of human nature as well. Remember, friends, one of my favorite phrases: "To assume makes an @ss out of you and me."

Nic